Ayanna Kelly tells the story of Ayanna, an Afro Caribbean woman who travels to Liverpool to search for her father after the death of her mother. She leaves behind a boyfriend named Robert as she begins her quest for self. When Ayanna lands in England, she meets a man named Monroe who leads her into a magic pub. There, the two of them begin a journey where they meet ghosts “playing” in past worlds in which they are expected to play a part. Together, Ayanna and Monroe rehearse Shakespeare scenes in tea gardens, sing Caribbean songs in council house flats, play Mersey beat in the Cavern Club, evoke sea shanties on a phantom ship and a fight over a trip hop start named Wikkid T. Eventually Ayanna finds her father but he is not what she expected.
Music is integral to the story of the play. Each scene focuses on a moment of Black and Irish musical traditions moving through choral medleys, Irish Ceilli, Afro-Caribbean carnival music, Mersey beat, trip hop, ballads, sea shanties and acoustic tap. Our composer, Errollyn Wallen has created both environmental songs that represent these traditions and character driven songs that advance the story of love and parental relationships.
The Michigan collaboration was supported by the University of Michigan Office of Research (UMOR) and Rhythmcolor with Kim Weston Moran.